How the Seasons Pass
by JacksonFrost
Summary: A four-shot on the relationship of Cho and Cedric. Each chapter will be a different season. For the Seasons challenge. Read/Review please!
1. Chapter 1: Autumn

**Author's Note:** This is a little four-shot for the Seasons challenge. Each chapter will be a different season, starting with autumn and ending with summer, and the focus is on Cho and Cedric's relationship. It's set during Goblet of Fire. Reviews would be much appreciated, and I'll try to post a chapter a day!

The prompts I had to incorporate were: leaves, tree, fight, breathe, song, brown.

**Autumn**

"It's just ridiculous. I'm embarrassed for Hogwarts," Marietta Edgecombe finished up her rant, looking irritated. "What do you think, Cho?"

Cho Chang startled. "What?"

Marietta's eyes narrowed in anger. "Were you even listening to me? I was talking about how Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory are both Hogwarts competitors in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry should be ashamed. He's underage, how dare he try to steal Cedric's thunder?"

"He said he didn't put his name in," Cho remarked mildly.

"And you believe him?" Marietta scoffed. "He gets away with everything, really, it's insane. Anyway, I thought you had a thing for Cedric?"

Cho blushed fiercely. "Well, I mean, I think he's certainly attractive…"

"You're pulling for him over Harry in the tournament, right?" Marietta asked shrewdly.

"As long as Hogwarts wins..." Cho started, but quickly trailed off at the look on Marietta's face. "I mean, yes, I would like Cedric to win."

Marietta giggled. "You guys would make such a cute couple."

Cho snorted. "I doubt he even knows I exist."

Two days later, Cho was certain Cedric knew she existed. After all, she was standing in front of him, after she just crashed into him, and was staring in horror at the splattered ink covering his books on the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" she stammered in a panic.

Cedric laughed. "Breathe," he teased. "It's fine. No big deal- Scourgify!- see?" The ink was wiped clean, and Cedric beamed at Cho. "You're Cho Chang, right?"

Cho nodded nervously. "You're Cedric Diggory."

Cedric laughed again. "I am. Hey, I know I just met you, but would you want to have a picnic or something later? It's a really pretty day…"

Cho blushed furiously. "I- Yes, that would be lovely."

Cedric exhaled in relief. "Great! I'll meet you under the big tree, all right? In an hour?"

Cho nodded. "Perfect," she whispered.

"Oi! Cedric! You coming?" a sixth-year Hufflepuff screamed.

Cedric glanced over his shoulder. "Be right there!" He turned back to Cho. "Then I'll see you then!" He gave her another smile, picked up his books, and jogged back to his friends.

Cho squealed in delight after he left and raced upstairs to the Ravenclaw tower. "Marietta! I have a date! With Cedric!" she screamed once she was in her dormitory.

Marietta looked up from "Witch Weekly" and with a flick of her wand, stopped the song by the Weird Sisters that was blaring through the dormitory. She gasped. "Really? When?" she asked, observing Cho rummaging through her clothes.

"In less than an hour," Cho gasped, picking a long brown scarf and wrapping it around her neck. She critically glanced at herself in the mirror.

"You look beautiful, darling," the mirror promised. Cho smiled, pinching her cheeks for some added color.

Marietta murmured in agreement. "Where is your date?"

"It's a picnic under the tree," Cho answered, shaking out her shiny black hair. "Romantic, eh?"

Marietta giggled. "Quite." The two friends lapsed into a giddy conversation filled with gossip until it was time for Cho to leave. "Have fun!" Marietta trilled. "Don't be so nervous, dear. You look fantastic."

"Thanks," Cho said, straightening her scarf. She waved at her friend, and headed downstairs. Once she stepped outside, she scanned the area for Cedric, finally spotting him on a blanket amongst the fallen leaves.

"Cedric!" she called, skipping over to him. "Hi."

"Hey," Cedric grinned lazily. "Sit down!" He opened the picnic basket. "I convinced the kitchen elves to pack us a lunch." He offered her a Butterbeer, which Cho took happily.

"It all looks really great," Cho beamed. Cedric thanked her and the conversation slowed, leaving an awkward silence. "So, Quidditch!" Cho blurted.

Cedric seized on the subject. "Oh yes. You play Seeker, right? Me too."

Cho nodded eagerly. "We'll be playing against each other soon, I suppose."

Cedric laughed. "I can't wait. I have to warn you though, I'm an aggressive player. I don't know if I can back down, even for a pretty girl like you."

Cho blushed, even as she glared. "Trust me, you don't need to back down to lose. I play to win."

Cedric looked taken aback for a second. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I don't want to fight."

Cho looked down, flustered. "Oh, it's quite all right," she muttered.

Cedric smiled. "I'm kind of a blunt person," he said slowly. "So I think I'll just say it."

"Pardon?" Cho asked, confused.

"I like you," Cedric stated baldly.

Cho opened and closed her mouth several times. "Oh…I like you too," she said faintly.

Cedric grinned, a slight tinge of red to his cheeks. "Now that that's settled, then. Treacle tart?"


	2. Chapter 2: Winter

**Author's Note: **Here's the second season: winter. Again, please read and review!! Make my day (:

The prompts I had to include were: cold, snow, puddle-jumping, coat, white.

**Winter**

Cho stood in the midst of the snow, bundled up in a furry white coat. "It's so cold!" she moaned.

Cedric laughed and ruffled her silky hair. "You look like a snow bunny. It's adorable."

Cho felt faint heat reach her cheeks, and grinned. "Thanks! I try."

Cedric absently grabbed a handful of snow, and packed it into a snowball. "Cho…" he trailed off, throwing the snowball in a random direction.

"What?" Cho asked, ignoring the angry squeal coming from the group of the girls that Cedric had carelessly and accidentally tossed his snowball at.

"Well, apparently there's going to be a ball. It's called the Yule Ball and the four contestants have to be there, and well, I was wondering…" he trailed off and then looked down with a determined glint to his eyes. "I was wondering if….if-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-ball-with-me?" He said the last bit very quickly, and chanced a glance at Cho, who was beaming brightly.

"I would love to, Cedric!" she squealed, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back and the two stayed in an entangled embrace.

After a couple minutes, however, they both heard a stern clearing of the throat, and Cho whirled around, away from Cedric. "Oh. Professor Sprout!"

Cedric grinned sheepishly at his Head of House. "Afternoon, Professor."

"Cedric, Cho," Professor Sprout nodded a greeting. "Cedric, I just wanted to check on your progress in figuring out the second task."

Cedric's face, instead of darkening like Cho expected, lit up. "I think I got it, Professor!" he exclaimed eagerly.

Professor Sprout gasped in delight. "Fabulous! Well, I'll let you two enjoy this beautiful day…" She almost skipped off, smiling happily.

"You really think you got it?" Cho asked in excitement.

Cedric nodded. "I might have told her that anyway, she's so chuffed for me to win and Hufflepuff to have a victory, but no, I think I figured it out."

Cho squealed in delight and surprised them both by standing on her toes and giving him a light kiss. "I knew you could do it," she breathed.

Cedric stood speechless. That had been his first kiss with Cho. "Thanks," he whispered, pulling her into a slow and long kiss.

An hour later, Cho was studying in the library with Marietta, and still smiling.

"What?" Marietta asked irritably, noticing Cho's grin. "Your happiness is slightly distracting."

"Sorry," Cho giggled. "But Cedric and I snogged."

Marietta abruptly dropped her books. "You did?! Finally! How was it?"

Cho blushed, but smiled dreamily. "It was wonderful."

Marietta beamed at her. "You'll have to tell me everything, I want every-" She broke off as she noticed a group of Ravenclaw girls storming towards them.

Cho shot her a grateful look for her silence, and turned to the girls. "Hello!" she chirped.

The girls murmured greetings, and Camilla Bales grinned at her. "Coming to lunch, aren't you?"

Marietta and Cho nodded, stuffing their books in their bags. "We're coming," Marietta said somewhat sourly; she clearly still wanted details.

The girls headed down the hall, laughing and talking, and Cho barely noticed that Harry Potter was heading towards her until he was right in front of her, asking to have a word with her. Her friends erupted into hysterical giggles, and Marietta jabbed Cho in the side, but Cho ignored them all and led Harry to the side.

A few minutes later, Cho returned to her friends, lost in thought with a faint blush on her cheeks. Marietta grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest bathroom.

"Well?" she hissed eagerly, scanning Cho's face for signs of what happened.

Cho shrugged. "He asked me to the Yule Ball. I told him no, Cedric already asked me."

"Regret saying yes to Cedric?" Marietta asked thoughtfully.

"No!" Cho snapped and stormed out of the bathroom.

Marietta trailed after her, apologizing. "I just thought that you might possibly be slightly interested in Harry. He's rather attractive and-"

"Why would Cho be interested in Harry?" Cedric slowly asked, appearing behind Marietta and staring at Cho.

"You were eavesdropping?" Marietta asked, eyebrows raised. Cho was struck silent.

"I was trying to catch up with you two," Cedric said coolly. "Cho dropped her quill." He held the quill out to Cho, clearly confused.

Cho took it. "Thanks. And Cedric, Harry asked me to the Yule Ball. I turned him down."

Cedric looked angry for a second but sighed. "Can't blame a guy for trying, I suppose." He grinned lovingly at Cho. "Glad you stuck with me, though. Want to go puddle-jumping?"

Cho laughed delightedly. "I haven't done that since I was a child!" She turned to Marietta. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Marietta nodded, smirking slightly at the immaturity of Cedric's request. "Have fun, you two," she said wearily.

They laughed and Cedric grabbed Cho's hand. "Let's go," he whispered, and the two took off running, laughing giddily.

Of course, they both got detention with Professor Snape for acting ridiculous and childish- "Running in the halls…tell me Diggory, are first-years now allowed in the Triwizard Tournament? And splashing in puddles, Chang? I had heard you were somewhat intelligent."- but as Cedric said later, it was worth it.


	3. Chapter 3: Spring

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay between chapters. I know I said I'd write everyday but I was sick for a few days and didn't feel like writing. This chapter is also kind of short, sorry, but Summer should be longer! Next chapter will also be the last, and I wouldn't expect it for a few more days since it obviously has a hard scene to write in it (we all know what happens in June in Goblet of Fire!). Review please!!

The prompts I had to incorporate were: bloom, flower(s), sounds, rustle, light, green

**Spring**

Cho giggled as Cedric lazily splashed her with water from the eerily green lake. "Stop that," she squealed, pretending to sulk. Cedric snorted and rolled over on his stomach, narrowly missing the picnic basket. Cho hurriedly grabbed the basket from harm and smirked at him. "You're such a klutz."

Cedric pretended to look offended. "Is that any way to treat somebody who rescued you from the merpeople's clutches?"

Cho laughed and rewarded him for what seemed like the two hundred and second time with a kiss. Cedric eagerly snogged her back until Cho pulled away. "There's Marietta!" she gasped.

Cedric muttered something that sounded like "horrid timing," but Cho ignored him and waved her friend over. "Marietta! Is it time already?"

Marietta nodded and beckoned impatiently. "Come on guys, enough of the love-bird stuff. Do you want to go to Hogsmeade or not?"

Cho jumped up and Cedric followed, somewhat reluctantly. The three made their way to the large group of students who were impatiently waiting for them, their sounds of annoyance clear. As they entered the village, Cho noticed Harry stealing glances at her. She waved, and he hastily turned away and quickly engaged in conversation with Ron and Hermione.

Cho rolled her eyes and squeezed Cedric's hand. "Want to go to Madam Puddifoot's for lunch?" she whispered.

It was a testament to Cedric's feelings for Cho that he did not show his horror of the cutesy little tea shop all the girls were fond of. "Sure thing," he said gamely, choking out a grin.

Cho obliviously beamed at him. "Great. Marietta, we'll see you later, okay?"

Marietta waved them away, and Cho and Cedric leisurely strolled down the streets of Hogsmeade until they approached the tea shop. "Ooh, look at all the flowers!" Cho cooed, clapping her hands in delight.

Indeed, the shop was covered in roses and tulips and other flowers Cedric couldn't name if he tried. "Pretty," he said unconvincingly. Upon Cho's glare, he attempted to correct himself. "Very pretty…they're all in bloom, it's just….lovely!"

Cho gave him an exasperated, albeit loving, look. "Let's go in, then."

The two entered the shop and sat down in a table by the corner. Cedric took a sip of his too-sweet coffee and tried not to gag as Cho rustled the sugar packets strewn across the table, looking for more sweetness to add to her coffee. Cedric stared at her in disbelief and Cho looked up innocently. "What?"

Cedric smirked. "Nothing. So…the third task in about a month."

Cho's eyes slightly widened; Cedric rarely brought up the Tournament himself. "Uh, yes. Are you nervous?" she asked carefully.

Cedric thought for a second. "Yeah. I don't know, Cho, but I just feel a little wary about this challenge."

Cho smiled reassuringly. "You'll do amazing, Cedric. I'm so proud of you already."

Cedric ducked his head. "Aww shucks," he drawled, with a laugh.

Cho rolled her eyes in amusement, as the lights dimmed over their table.

"What the-" Cedric started, bemused, but Cho ignored him, seemingly unconcerned.

"You've been really remarkable this year," she breathed, leaning across the table.

Cedric slowly leaned across too, meeting her halfway, and his lips met hers. After a few seconds, he pulled away slightly and whispered, "I love you, Cho."

Cho gasped a little, beamed, and responded by kissing him back. "Really?" she murmured, after finally breaking away.

Cedric gulped, but nodded. "I've never said that before, to anyone."

Cho grinned. "Well, Cedric, you're in luck, as I happen to love you too."

He smiled a little bashfully and squeezed her hands across the table. He thought about going into detail about his feelings for Cho- he heard girls love that kind of mushy stuff- but decided against it. After all, they had all the time in the world.


	4. Chapter 4: Summer

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the last installment of Cho's year with Cedric. The season was summer and the prompts I had to incorporate were**:** heat, sun, outdoors, smile, lake, yellow. Read and review, please!

* * *

**Summer**

Cedric gave Cho a nervous peck on the cheek as he dropped her hand and headed to the tent with all the other champions.

"Good luck!" Cho screeched and immediately turned to Marietta. "I'm so nervous," she quietly admitted.

Marietta rolled her eyes. "Really?" she asked sarcastically. "You look perfectly put-together." Seeing that Cho wasn't in the mood for jokes, Marietta switched gears and placed a calming hand on Cho's arm. "Hey," she said tenderly. "Cedric will be completely fine. He's battled a dragon and faced angry mer-people. Do you seriously think a simple maze will affect him?"

Cho nodded gamely. "You're right. I'm being silly." Still, she shivered slightly, despite the heat of the day, as she stared at the maze.

As Ludo Bagman made his introduction to the challenge, Marietta watched Cho force a pleasant smile as people came up to her, the girlfriend of the most popular champion, and murmured their encouragements. As soon as Cedric and Harry took off into the maze, however, Cho dropped all pretenses and anxiously stared at the hedges, as if trying to penetrate a hole through one.

The challenge passed and Cho felt like she was in a daze. The spectators were absolutely silent, and even the creatures that lived outdoors were still and respectful. Everyone was waiting for something to happen, and finally it did. A high pitched scream of terror was heard coming from the depths of the maze and everyone broke into fervent chatter, wondering who it was.

"We'll wait for sparks!" Bagman assured the crowd, staring anxiously at the spot the scream had come from.

But there were no sparks. Marietta squeezed the hand of Cho, who had gone chalky white. "It sounded like a girl," Marietta whispered.

Cho nodded in agreement, feeling a slight twinge of relief and then a wave of guilt crushing it. Fleur was a nice person, and Cho was relieved that it was her that was hurt? What kind of person was she? "There were no sparks though," she pointed out to Marietta, hoping that meant nobody was hurt and not that Fleur had been attacked before she had the chance to send off sparks.

But then there _were _sparks, coming from a spot a little away from the spot where the scream had come from. The crowd erupted into nervous speculation and Dumbledore and Bagman strode into the exact spot where the sparks had come from. A few minutes later, they came back, laden with the body of Krum.

The crowd burst into frantic whispers and one small boy screamed out, "Is he alive?!"

The judges were huddled into a small group, their quietness pierced by Karkaroff's angry shouts. Bagman withdrew from the judges and looked out on the crowd. "Krum is now out of the tournament," he boomed, with an odd air of relief on his face. "He is alive, he had just been Stunned, and our healers on call are reviving him as we speak. No need to panic, people!"

People still panicked, of course, amongst themselves. "This seems dangerous," one first-year Hufflepuff squeaked.

Not everyone was concerned. Cho overheard Fred Weasley say excitedly, "If that Fleur that screamed, it could be down to Cedric and Harry…and Cedric's no match against Harry Potter!"

Marietta looked at Cho reassuringly. "He doesn't know anything," she whispered. "And you know, Cedric beat Harry in Quidditch!"

Cho nodded, but at this point, she was past caring if Cedric won or if Harry won. She just wanted Cedric to come out of the maze, unharmed. She stood with Marietta, her heart in her throat, for what seemed like hours, waiting with the rest of the crowd for another shriek, more sparks, or the triumphant roar of the winner. They waited until the sun began to set, and finally, something happened.

Harry emerged from the maze, clutching the golden cup in one hand, and holding Cedric up with the other. The crowd stared in shocked silence- _What was wrong with Cedric?_- until Mad-Eye Moody and Dumbledore rushed towards Harry and Cedric. That broke the spell, and people started screaming.

"HARRY!" Cho heard a frantic Hermione scream.

"Harry!" Ron echoed.

"He's all right," Cho heard Hermione say with a gush of relief in her voice. "He's talking to Moody, but Ron, Cedric is…"

Cho didn't hear anymore. She lunged forward, broke free of Marietta's restraining grip, and ran to the front of the crowd. "Cedric!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "Cedric!!"

Cho dimly registered Mr. and Mrs. Diggory rushing towards Cedric and a silent Harry being led away by Moody. She screamed Cedric's name once more and pounded the restless crown, desperate to get to him, but she was restrained and slowly sunk to the ground, weeping uncontrollably.

When she came to, Madame Pomfrey was staring over her. "Oh dear," she said quietly. "You're awake."

Cho looked around her. She was in a tent, with Fleur and Krum who were peacefully sleeping. "What happened?" she rasped. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she looked at Madame Pomfrey. "Where's Cedric?"

Madame Pomfrey bit her lip as she adjusted Cho's sunny yellow bed-sheets. "You've had a great shock," she said, evading Cho's question. "Dumbledore will be here to talk to you shortly."

"Just tell me!" Cho snapped impatiently, but Madame Pomfrey ignored her and started fussing over Fleur, who was groggily waking up.

Dumbledore entered the tent, looking like he had aged over two decades since breakfast. "Miss Chang," he said softly, nodding at Madame Pomfrey.

"Where's Cedric?" Cho asked nervously.

Dumbledore sighed. "He was killed, by none other than Lord Voldemort. The winning cup was a Portkey and it took Harry and Cedric to a graveyard, where Voldemort was waiting. He had no need for Cedric, so he murdered him, and then he used Harry for-"

Cho didn't fully register the name that made a listening Madame Pomfrey and Fleur flinch violently, or the explanation that Dumbledore recited heavily. All she could take in was the first three words Dumbledore had uttered: _he was killed._

"He's dead?" Cho asked, cutting off Dumbledore's speech. "Cedric is dead?"

Dumbledore nodded wearily. "He's dead. I'm so sorry."

"No," Cho said, shaking her head. "He can't be!" A note of hysteria was in her voice, and as she struggled to get out of bed, Dumbledore waved over Madame Pomfrey.

"Something to help her sleep, I'd think," he said heavily. Madame Pomfrey nodded and forced a smooth, buttery liquid down Cho's throat, causing her to instantly stop and fall into a dreamless sleep.

When she awoke, hours later, she was in the hospital wing. It took her a minute to remember, and when she did, she ached more than she had thought humanly possible to ache. She saw that everyone in the hospital wing was surrounding Harry's bed and quietly rose out of bed.

She tip-toed past the group around Harry's sleeping form, and made it to the door without anyone noticing. Once she closed the door to the hospital wing behind her, she took off running through the halls. She ran past the cries of "Cho!" and past a concerned Marietta and didn't stop running until she reached the lake.

She threw herself down on the grass, sobbing as though her heart was broken, and it was. Cedric, the strong, gentle, funny, smart, amazing guy who told her he loved her and kissed her and even rescued her from the mer-men's clutches, because she was the one he'd miss most, was _gone_. She couldn't fathom it, and that just made her sob harder.

After what seemed like hours, Cho felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Marietta. "Are you going to be okay?" Marietta whispered, stroking Cho's hair.

Cho gulped back a fresh wave of tears. "I don't think I'll ever be okay again," she wailed. "My heart is broken, oh my God, Cedric!" She burst into a renewed set of sobs, feeling the pain hit her like a thousand bricks. Marietta let her sob, and when Cho couldn't cry anymore, she led her back inside.

Several weeks later, Cho had earned the nickname "The Human Spigot." It was a rather cruel way of reminding everyone that Cho now cried at less than the drop of a hat. If anyone even mentioned Cedric or the Triwizard Tournament, it was likely that Cho would run from the room, sobbing hysterically. Nobody called her that to her face, of course, with the exception of a few particularly nasty Slytherins. Cho didn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore.

When the End-Of-Year-Feast rolled around, Cho was ready to leave Hogwarts, with its constant memories of Cedric and being with Cedric. She listened to Dumbledore's first mention of Cedric, and drank to his memory, with tears gushing down her face. She calmly listened to Dumbledore recounting the way Cedric had died, and felt a faint flicker of pride for her boyfriend, who had tried to stand up to the greatest Dark wizard of all time. It was the first feeling, other than soul-crushing grief, she had felt since she heard the news of Cedric's death.

She listened to Dumbledore bring up Harry's role in the tragedy. She realized with a bit of shock that there was someone else out there that had the slightest inkling of what she had been going through. As she drank to Harry, she found his face in the crowd. He looked tired, but other than that, he looked okay.

Cho faintly smiled. Seeing Harry gave her hope that maybe, once this long hot summer had ended, she would be okay too, even without Cedric to guide her through. And as Dumbledore concluded his speech with a warning to "Remember Cedric Diggory," a warning that was completely unnecessary to Cho, she didn't feel so alone anymore.

After the feast was over, Cho slipped back out to the lake, back to the spot where she and Cedric had had their first date, back where Cedric had pulled her out of the lake, choking and gasping for air, back where they had sat before going to Hogsmeade, where Cedric had told her he loved her for the first time, and back where she had sobbed hysterically after his death. This time, there was no more sobs, only a few familiar tears. Cho stared into the murky waters of the lake, and carefully touched the surface of the water with her palm.

"Goodbye Cedric," she whispered to the lake. "I love you, forever."

She waited for a sign and Cedric did not disappoint. A blazing red feather floated over to the shore, where Cho was kneeling, and she picked it up. "Thanks," she whispered, smiling through her tears.

Cho pocketed the feather and shakily stood up, giving the lake one last look. She turned around and headed back to the crowds of students waiting for the Hogwarts Express, alone and miserable, but not entirely hopeless, not anymore. And that little spark of hope, Cho thought as she hurried to the crowds, clutching her feather, was probably given to her by Cedric, who after all, had loved her with all the fiery passion of a first love.

_fin._


End file.
